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Who is Jonathan Vilma?
Jonathan Vilma is a sports journalist and a former football player. Jonathan Vilma was currently one of the top young football analysts in the country. Jonathan led his club to Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.
Jonathan’s professional career began when he was taken 12th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
The Florida native was one of the top picks, so there were big hopes for him to deliver.
Childhood and Family
Jonathan Vilma was born on April 16, 1982, in Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A. to his parents, Fritz and Nelly Vilma.
Furthermore, Jonathan’s parents were born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States.
He also has a sister, Alice Vilma, with whom he grew up in Florida.
Despite hours of investigation, we were unable to locate any information about his youth.
However, we discovered that he attended G.W. Carver Middle School and subsequently Coral Gables High School, where he made a reputation for himself as a member of the football team.
Vilma then enrolled at the University of Miami after winning a scholarship there.
From 2000 to 2003, the Florida native was a member of the Miami Hurricanes football team, impressing numerous NFL scouts along the way.
Vilma was a three-time Academic All-Big East-Conference selection by the end of his four-year career.
As a result, Jonathan earned a finance degree from the University of Miami’s School of Business Administration at the end of 2003.
Nationality & Height
When it comes to his age, Jonathan Vilma was born in the year 1982, making him 40 years old.
Similarly, the football player’s birthday is April 16th, giving him the astrological sign of Aries.
Vilma was also born in the U.S. state of Florida, making him an American citizen.
Vilma is 6 feet 1 inch (1.95 meters) tall and weighs 230 pounds (104 kg).
Jonathan used his athletic body to its greatest capacity on way to becoming one of the best linebackers of his era, despite the fact that his athletic body is no longer useful in the analysis studio.
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Facts of Jonathan Vilma
| Full Name | Jonathan Polynice Vilma |
| Birth Date | April 16, 1982 |
| Birth Place | Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A |
| Nick Name | Not available |
| Religion | Not available |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Not available |
| Education | University of Miami |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Father’s Name | Fritz Vilma |
| Mother’s Name | Nelly Vilma |
| Siblings | Alice Vilma |
| Age | 40 Years Old |
| Height | 6’1″ (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 104 kg (230 lbs) |
| Shoe Size | Not available |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Measurement | Not available |
| Build | Muscular |
| Married | No |
| Girlfriends | No |
| Spouse | No |
| Profession | Sports Journalism (Current), National Football League (Retired) |
| Position | Football Analyst (Current), Linebacker (NFL) |
| Net Worth | $21 million |
| Clubs | New Orleans Saints (2008-2013), New York Jets (2004-2007) |
| Broadcasting Affiliations | ESPN |
| Social Media | Instagram, Facebook |
| Shoes | Not Available |
| Merch | Jersey, Autograph |
| Last Update | April 2022 |
Salary and Net Worth
Jonathan Vilma has a net worth of $21 million as of 2022, primarily from his playing career.
Similarly, the 40-year-old began his professional career at the age of 22 and went on to play ten seasons in the NFL. He could have played more if he hadn’t been plagued by injuries.
Jonathan also makes $70,000 per year as an ESPN college football analyst.
Despite the fact that the sum may not appear to be significant, during his ten-year NFL career, he averaged a yearly salary of $3.7 million.
As a result, by the time Vilma retired, he had amassed a staggering $37.3 million in earnings.
Professional Career
Jonathan’s professional career began when he was taken 12th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
The Florida native was one of the top picks, so there were big hopes for him to deliver.
He then lived up to the hype by winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Vilma also had 107 tackles, three interceptions, and two sacks on the season.
As a result, after such a strong first season, Jonathan was under pressure to improve even more in his second season in the NFL.
And the 40-year-old did exactly that, leading the NFL in tackles with 169. In 2006, Vilma also made his first appearance at the Pro Bowl.
Following that, the Florida native put together another impressive season with the Jets, recording 114 tackles, one fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Vilma’s fourth year with the franchise, on the other hand, was a disaster. The reason for this is that he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in week seven.
As a result of the injury and the contract’s short lifespan, the Jets traded the 6’1 linebacker to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2008 and another in 2009.
The New Orleans Saints
Jonathan was anticipated to take some time to adjust after being traded to the Saints. He, on the other hand, performed the exact opposite, as he was the sole bright spot in a shaky defensive unit that gave up a lot of touchdowns.
Despite this, the Saints’ 40-year-old finished his first season with 132 tackles and one sack in 16 games.
Moving forward, no one expected the New Orleans Saints to even make it to the Super Bowl the next year, let alone win it.
But that’s exactly what happened when Vilma led his club to Super Bowl XLIV after making several crucial plays in a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Jonathan was also selected for his second appearance in the Pro Bowl. Vilma then had a solid 2010 season, leading the club in tackles, before having a catastrophic 2011 due to a knee injury.
No one could have imagined the maelstrom that the New Orleans Saints and Vilma would confront in 2012.
During the 2012 season, the Saints were embroiled in a scandal in which it was claimed that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams paid his players to take out other players.
Vilma was also accused of offering $10,000 to his teammates to knock out Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC Championship Game.
As a result, Jonathan has been suspended for the whole 2012 season. But that was nothing compared to the tremendous blow to his years of hard work and reputation.
Furthermore, both fans and experts began to label the player and the organization as cheats.
As a result, we believe Vilma never fully recovered from the incident, as he formally retired from the NFL at the conclusion of 2014 after an injury-plagued 2013 season.
Jonathan’s services, however, were recognized when the New Orleans Saints inducted him into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2017.
ESPN after retirement
Vilma has worked as a college football analyst for the ESPN network since retiring from the NFL in 2014.
Jonathan has quickly established himself as one of the top analysts in the game, providing in-depth expertise unlike any other.
Wife & Kids
As of now, Jonathan Vilma is not married nor involved in a relationship, as suggested by his Instagram posts.
On the contrary, if he is in a relationship and has managed to keep it private, he has done an incredible job. On top of that, we also could not find out about his previous relationships as well.
Nonetheless, we did find out that the 40-year-old has a daughter named Samaara Vilma. However, Samaara’s biological mother’s identity remains concealed from the prying eyes of the media.
Nevertheless, the two share a strong bond as they travel together, hang out, and basically share a special relationship.
Furthermore, being a single parent is never easy. But full credit to Jonathan as he has managed to raise his daughter exceptionally well.
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Social Media Presence
His Instagram has 18.3k followers and his Facebook has 89k followers.
